Rowing simulators or machines have been known for many decades. They are used for both general strength and fitness training, and for competitive and other rowers to practice rowing indoors. Traditional indoor rowing machines come in two primary types: sweep rowers and scull rowers. In recent years, paddle-based on-water sports have experienced significant growth in interest, popularity, and participation. Such paddle-based sports include Kayaking, Canoeing (Canoe Sprint/Outrigger Canoeing/Dragon Boat), and Standup Paddle Boarding. Most paddle-based on-water sports use either a sweeping or sculling stroke that can be simulated. Thus, a number of rowing machines or rowers have been introduced to simulate and bring indoors those activities.
Sweep rowing machines have a single handle attached to a cord, cable, or chain, and a tensioning device whereby the user pulls the handle while pushing out with the user's legs in one direction, and then compresses the legs and allows the cable or chain to retract back into the tensioning device in the opposite direction. For convenience, “cable” may be used in this disclosure to refer to cord, cable, chain, ribbon, and similar flexible devices for transmitting pulling force/tension. The cable is spooled around a spindle on a wheel attached with a one-way sprocket to the resistance device/mechanism. A rowing stroke or pulling motion on the handle causes the cable spindle wheel to spin and unwind from the spool, thereby rotating the resistance device. On the opposite direction stroke, the one-way sprocket allows the spindle to rotate in the opposite direction to retract the cable, without affecting the rotation of the resistance system.
Sculling type indoor rowers have dual independent oar handles whereby the user can independently pull one or the other of the ore handles, or both ore handles together. Sculling type indoor rowers are generally implemented using gas compression cylinders as the resistance system, and are typically very simple and compact in construction. Many known indoor rowers have a slidable seat mounted to a rail so as to simulate the sliding motion of a seat in a rowing boat and allow the user to extend and retract legs in the course of exercising. When the user is seated on the sliding seat, the user places his or her feet on the footrests, which are attached to the frame upon which the seat slides. The tensioning device is generally one or a combination of known air, magnetic, flywheel, or water resistance devices. Many rowers allow the user to increase or decrease the level of resistance.
Known indoor rowers also may have a variety of sensors that capture performance metrics of the user during the use of the rowers, and present the metrics on a visual display or console. The data may also be stored in a memory for comparing against other workout sessions. Some consoles also include wireless data transmitters that allow sharing of performance data with other devices.
Stand-up paddle (SUP) boarding is a paddle-based on-water sport that continues to gain popularity. The SUP paddleboard stroke benefits athletes with a strong core workout. Paddle boarding requires strength in the arms, the abdomen and the legs, which must stay engaged to perform the SUP stroke and to maintain balance to keep the board from tipping. It is desirable that athletes have some ability to practice the paddleboard stroke when there is no access to a water venue. Known SUP simulators include those that recreate the SUP paddling stroke; these apparatus are stand-alone and do not allow for simulating other types of paddle-based on-water sports.
If a user desires to practice indoors multiple types of rowing techniques, the available choices are rather limited. Known systems generally allow for a single rowing type, and the user needs to purchase multiple types of rowing machines and move from one machine to another. This requires investment in multiple machines, increased machine maintenance costs, and may be prohibitive because of the space requirements of multiple machines.